As a huge, huge Les Misérables fan, this book was such a relief compared to the other retellings I've read. Sky Without Stars takes the plot of Les Mis and hurls it into space. Literally. Weirdly enough, the drastic changes in setting, plot, and character Sky Without Stars made to Les Mis was what made me enjoy it so much more--I wasn't hung up on all the inaccuracies and deviations; I was just interested how the characters of Éponine, Cosette, and Marius translated to Chatine, Alouette, and Marcellus, and excited to find out what happened next.

I definitely feel like the authors are Éponine fans because Chatine was the centre of the book. Chatine was really wonderful in this book, and her portrayal is so much closer to the Brick's than the musical's was. Chatine is hardened and desperate for an escape from the planet of Laterre, and she's so badass. Chatine knows what she wants and how she's going to get it, except when it comes to Marcellus - which is pretty much how she is in the original book. With Marcellus, I was really interested in how his storyline was based on his relationship with his grandfather, which is fairly accurate to the book. Marius finds out secrets about his father and splits with Gillenormand because of political differences, which is more or less what happens with Marcellus and General Bonnefaçon. I'm not sure how I feel about Marcellus's characterization--I think if I wasn't comparing him to Marius, I would have enjoyed Marcellus's character a lot more. Marcellus was so well-developed and I really liked him.

Alouette was actually my favourite, which makes sense, because I adore Cosette. Alouette was inquisitive and intelligent and confident in herself, which is basically everything I love in a good Cosette characterization. I also loved her father a lot and how the whole story of Les Misérables was incorporated into this book, because so many retellings focused on 1832-era characters tend to leave out Fantine, Valjean, and Javert. Alouette and Hugo's relationship was precious and endearing, but Alouette is definitely struggling for more independence and answers. And the authors kept Cosette's nickname as "Little Lark," which made me so happy. It really shows attention to detail to the original book. Both Alouette and Chatine's characters didn't change much from the original Brick, which I really loved - Hugo's women are, generally, so fully fleshed-out, autonomous characters, that there doesn't need to be a lot of modernizing. 

One of the new additions to the story of Les Mis was the Vangarde. I suppose in some ways it could be compared to Les Amis de l'ABC, but I didn't see it; the Vangarde is an entirely new identity. It was fascinating to have something new to figure out, especially since a lot of the plot twists were lost on me because I know the original book so well. However, I really wanted to see Les Amis de l'ABC. I hope they'll make an appearance in the next book, because they're some of my favourite characters--I would absolutely love for them to be women, and this book has such potential to put Les Amis in as an all-girl revolutionary team. I was really glad for some of the side characters--Azelle, Chatine's sister, stands in for Azelma, who is cut from a lot of adaptations. Roche was ... so precious. I loved him so much, and I'm happy that Chatine will get to know him in the sequel. 

As far as the worldbuilding went, it was fairly typical for YA sci-fi--lots of capitalized words to indicate significance, for instance. Much of the book mixed in a lot of gratuitous French with the English--or English words that sounded like French. Honestly, I thought a lot of it was unnecessary: substituting "meter" for "métré," or "stupid" for "stupide." It threw me off a bit and sometimes came off as quite awkward, especially when there were words that could have been French-ified--like Citizen Rosseau could have been Citoyen Rosseau and gotten the point across just the same. I believe there are some translations that leave instances of "citoyen" untranslated, especially when Enjolras goes off about how his mother is the Republic, etc. I appreciated all the references to both the book and the musical--an inn called the Jondrette, and little nudges like calling Mme. Renard the "master of the house." I'm not usually fond of musical references, but these ones were generally unobtrusive. 

All in all, I really enjoyed Sky Without Stars and can say it's my favourite retelling of Les Misérables. Which is high praise, coming from me. Chatine, Alouette, and Marcellus were a delight to read about, and I'm really interested in picking up the next book.

Wow! Just wow! This is one of the best sci fi/ fantasy novels I’ve ever read. It is an incredible kickoff to this series. Jessica Brody and Joanne Randell are incredible writers! Typically with longer books like this one (it’s almost 600 pages), I tend to have moments where I get bored but this one kept me hooked the whole way through. The twists and turns were executed so well. I loved these characters! They were so complex and multi-dimensional, and each of their individual character arcs played out so beautifully. That ending was very intense and I’m not okay! Lol I need the next book now please!! Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgally for providing with me this ARC copy.

I enjoyed all three main characters point of view and I thought they all had distinct voices. The character with the strongest voice out of the three was definitely Chatine. She's a cunning thief who dresses like a boy for fear of being sent to the blood brothels. Shes survived this long by being selfish and closed off, but as she develops we see her open up a little. I really liked the scene where she bonds with her sister. Her goal is to escape the brutal Regime as well as her cruel parents, and shes willing to do anything to achieve it, including spy on the second main character Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet. While training to take command of the military, Marcellus is exposed to some difficult truth that make him doubt his grandfather and the Regime he has sworn to protect.

Chatine growing feelings for Marcellus are not only complicated due to his position and her being known as a boy, but his fascination with the third main character Alouette. Alouette lives in an underground refuge with her father and the sisters who trained her to guard and protect the last surviving library on the planet. Thats until a series of events brings Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years. Her determination to find answers and uncover her fathers secrets was admirable. Despite having secrets I thought her relationship with her father was really sweet. Sheltered yet resourceful, I found Alouette perspective a joy to read. I loved seeing her become more self assured and independent as the story progressed. As the resistance reemerges to fight the regime and Laterre is thrown into chaos we see these three characters lives intersect.

It was interesting how their new planet has 408 days in a year, 51 days in a month and 30 hours in a day. I also liked how this new solar system had three suns and the dark seasons. I did wonder how anything could grow on their farmlands with all that rain and lack of sunlight. I liked the addition of droids and cyborgs, but I really wish we got information on how the tablets worked earlier in the book. Waiting until half way through the book felt excessive. The whole time I spent wondering how the general was able to name off production results from his tablet if no one can read took away some of my enjoyment. It also seems unbelievable with all their technology that they cant read or that they even forgot in the first place. Their technology would have had all kinds of writing integrated in the system and the orginal settlers would have passed that down to their children.

I predicted pretty much all the big reveals, but they werent super obvious either. Theres an improbable scene where Marcellus goes to sit in a loud crowded inn but somehow his chair makes enough noise that everyone turns to look at him. Besides some inconsistencies the story was fairly easy to understand. Instead of telling me her parents got chased out of town like 3 times give me a bit more action. I felt like this entire book was a build up for the next books. This first book is more about setting up the world and the characters so it wasnt very fast paced. I havent read Les Miserable so I dont know how closely the plot follows the original story, but I might just have to watch the movie now. Being french I enjoyed the french words that were incorporated. It was also fun to see some of the slang that the third estate used.

Not Posted Yet: Monthly Wrap Up, Adventuarthon Wrap Up, 5 Star Prediction Results, Seasonal Series Wrap Up

I LOVED Sky Without Stars and could not put it down and cannot wait for the next in the series to be released. This book is appearantly a retelling of Les Misérables, which I have not read. It features main 3 characters with 3 distinct backgrounds and political views. And the author was sucessful at creating 3 distinct voices. While there is a bit of dramatic irony I do think these are teases and there will be plot twists and a lot of surprises coming in the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me a copy to review.

This book is good. Really good. There are so many layers to this, it’s going to be hard to do it justice.

Sky Without Stars is the first book in the System Divine series. It’s a reimagining of Les Misérables. It follows the stories of Chatine, a girl disguising herself as a boy; Marcellus, the son of a traitor and grandson to the General of the Regime; and Alouette, a refuge who protects a hidden library. It’s beautiful watching how these stories unfold, tangle together, and end up all changed by one another.

500 years ago twelve families and their descendants left Earth and came to the System Divine in hopes of a new start. A French family settled on one of the planets named Laterre, hoping to start anew and not repeat the mistakes that were made on Earth. Does that ever work?

Chatine lives in the Frets, she is part of the Third Estate, the lowest Estate on Laterre. She wants nothing more than to escape Laterre aboard a ship to Usonia, a sister planet. She’ll do anything. For years she has gone by the name Theó to hide her gender. The life of a girl is never good for the Third Estate. Her family are all cons and crooks, minus her sister who is dutiful and hopeful. A perfect foil for Chatine. When the Premier Enfant is murdered Chatine’s life is forever changed. That is when her story becomes tangled with Marcellus. He is her ticket off Laterre.

Marcellus is of the Second Estate and is nothing like his father. Or so he wants to believe. You’re constantly judged when you’re the son of a traitor. His grandfather, the General, has raised him after his father was sent to the Bastille which is the highest security prison built on Laterre’s moon. Marcellus wants to do good and prove to his grandfather that he is not his father’s son. He tries so hard to do the right thing, but it’s never enough. Not when there’s so many questions about his father and no answers that make sense. Marcellus, along with Chatine, start digging into Vanguard business. The business that branded his father a traitor. Marcellus and Chatine then become entangled in Alouette’s story.

Alouette lives in the Refuge with her father and the Sisters. She lives a very structured life and has hopes of one day becoming a Sister and taking care of the library. All books were destroyed or left behind when they left Earth, but the Sisters believe they need to remember in order to not repeat the same mistakes. Alouette tries to be dutiful but she is curious and there’s secrets that she cannot find answers to unless she breaks all the rules she’s been taught. Sometimes the search for answers is dangerous.

This book is so beautifully done. It has French words sprinkled in which really immersed me into the world. You don’t even need to know French in order to understand this book, it’s very well done. The characters all have their own stories, dreams, and goals, and the way they’re all woven together is a real art. I did have issues with Alouette in the beginning. I found her annoying, but she grew on me and now am excited to see where she goes and how she grows.

I put this book down a lot, not because it was boring, but because I was always busy. No matter how long I put it down for, the second I picked it up I was immersed right back into the world. I never forgot anything, it was easy to keep track of everyone. I always dread picking up a book after I take a break from it, but it was never a problem with this! I loved it. This is masterful storytelling.

I recommend this book to everyone. It has spies, mystery, romance, hopes and dreams, death, adventure, and everything else you could think of. I have never read or seen Les Misérables but this made me think I’d really enjoy it. If I could, I’d give it a 4.5 because it is really good. I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait for more. I hope there’s books for each planet and each family. I do love Chatine and I do want to read more about their stories, I also want to explore the other planets. Maybe we will through Chatine, Marcellus, and Alouette. Only time will tell.

I am not a sci-fi reader. I don’t do planets or robots or space-age-y themes. Now and then, I will broaden my horizons and pick up a sci-fi/fantasy that surprises me but not very often. Usually, if I see “sci-fi” in the description I will pass it over. I passed over this book…several times. I kept coming back to it, though, because I am a big Les Misérables fan and I was so curious to see how these authors were going to take one of my favorite musicals, adapt it into a science fiction story and hopefully not destroy it. I wasn’t expecting to like it….

I didn’t just like it….I freaking LOVED it! Guys, this book absolutely blew me away. At almost 600 pages of teeny-tiny print (on my e-copy anyway) I still wanted more. The first couple of times I started reading, I had a hard time getting into it but it must have just been the timing because when I started again…I had to force myself to put it down because I was going to pass out and lose my place. That is how much I loved this book!

Not being a sci-fi fan, I know there was a lot that was probably over my head. Droids, planets, the Skins….for the most part I think I could follow along but at no point did I feel that I was missing anything. I think that is really important. The writers created this entire futuristic world (which was fabulously done, by the way) and anyone can follow. You don’t have to worry about this not being your genre and getting lost because even if you fall off the path, it’s super easy to get back on and keep going. I love that. I’m not converted to science fiction, by any means, but I definitely enjoyed this reading experience much more due to the ease of the writing.

What impressed me the most about Brody and Rendell’s adaptation was how well it matched the original story. Authors are coming out with retellings every day but a lot of the time they so vaguely represent the original that you can’t tell if the book is truly supposed to be an adaptation or if it’s simply advertised that way because the theme is almost similar. In Sky Without Stars there is NO question. You can easily tell who each character is representing, there are wonderful little tidbits hidden in plain sight (Prisoner 42601….loved that touch so much!) and, though the storylines are fairly different, the two are integrated flawlessly.

The characters are done fantastically. I felt so much for Chatine and fully believe that this is her story more than anyone’s. I just wanted to grab her and take her home with me. Marcellus’s character annoyed me a bit with his naïve attitude but I do feel that he grew so much as the book went on and Alouette was such a great surprise. I didn’t care for her much at the beginning, but she really grew on me.

You don’t have to have read Les Misérables to read this book. The story is very much its own but I do highly suggest at least watching the movie, if nothing else. The background there will make reading Brody and Rendell’s book all the more enjoyable. Plus, it’s a great movie with some of the best musical scores ever so why not?

Sky Without Stars is, without a doubt, the best retelling I have ever read. It might only be March, but it is already one of my top reads so far this year and I anticipate it staying at the top of the list.

Call me impressed. I need more of this book and more of this world!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy of this book to read and provide own my honest opinion.

I received this ARC by the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review.

The synopsis of this book really intrigued me. I’ve never read Les Mis or seen the movie, so when I was approved for this book, I was extremely happy.

Sky Without Stars mainly centres around Chatine, Marcellus and Alouette. As the synopsis, says ‘All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.’ And that is so true. A rebellious group the upper elite thought was hidden/gone is resurfacing and threatens to bring Laterre into chaos. This kind of book tends to be my favourite kind.


I must say I really enjoyed Chatine’s POV. I found her to be the most flawed in my eyes and was very interested to learn about her life and how she got the way she is.

I also rather enjoyed the French words in the novel. It was refreshing and found I understand some of the words/sayings, even tough the author provides its meaning right after.

I am excited to see where this story goes and will definitely be picking up the next book.

I am a big fan of the musical Les Misérables, which is the main reason that I wanted to read this book. This is a YA science fiction retelling of the story.

The story focuses on three teens from different backgrounds. These are the three 3rd person narrators: Chatine (a thief), Marcellus (an officer), and Alouette (a guardian).

It was easy enough to figure out which characters were which from Les Mis: Chatine is Eponine, Marcellus is Marius, Alouette is Cosette. Plus Inspecteur Limier is Inspector Javert, Jean LeGrand is Jean Valjean, The Renards are Mr and Madame Thénardier, and Roche is Gavroche.

This was an interesting retelling that takes place on the planet of Laterre (the coldest and wettest of the 12 planets in the System Divine). But the book is very long (too long). And this is only the first book.

I enjoyed the characters. My favorite was Chatine. To me this was really her story.

I found the concept of the "forgotten word" to be really fascinating.

Overall the story was interesting. Although being familiar with the musical means I had a good idea how certain things would play out. It was just overwhelmingly long.

The story does end with a bit of a cliffhanger. I am curious to see what happens next.

I came across Sky Without Stars while I was browsing on NetGalley and I enjoyed the premise so I decided to add it to my reviews. Sky Without Stars is a retelling of the classic  masterpiece Les Mis. I'm always fascinated by other people's understanding of a story and how they take the premise and create something similar but new. Brody & Rendall have taken Les Mis and created a story about 3 main characters; a theif (Chatine), an officer (Marcellus) and a guardian (Alouette) set in a sci-fi universe.

There was a lot to take away from this book. Some of the main themes from Les Mis are present like the unfortunate class system with the corrupt First Estate, oblivious Second Estate and starving Third Estate, but there is an added layer of depth to this story. The setting is on a planet called Laterre. A home created from wealthy French families (which explains the use of the french dialogue) because their previous planet, The First World, became unsustainable. The reason why is not discussed but one can assume it had to do with the peoples existence on and interaction with the planet whether through climate change, over population, etc. Written language has become obsolete and forbidden, so no one knows why they had to leave the First World and knowledge about the First World has been lost including the types of animals and way of life of the previous people. I thought this was impactful because of the current state of our planet and the direction we are heading in, which is an uncertain future. 

Everyone on Laterre has a Skin, which is a device implanted into people's arms, similar to a computer chip that projects images like public announcements, contacts and currency. Again this does not seem far from the future we are currently molding and shaping. The residents of Laterre cannot read the Forgotten Word and rely solely on their Skin for information. Unfortunately, we are currently seeing this starting to happen in our everyday lives. Children are no longer learning cursive writing in schools and gaining most of their knowledge from the internet. I appreciated this concept in the book and I think that the writers did a great job at bringing the previous themes of Les Mis and combining them with these new and very real themes to create an even deeper connection with the plot. We as a people have been destroying the Earth and this book does a great job at showing the reader what our future could look like. I thought there was a lot of undertones from the movie Wall-E as well, which was a nice comparison throughout the book. I think the writers executed these themes flawlessly and did not force any of the concepts. 

The plot was essentially the same as Les Mis, but the added elements of sci-fi is what brought this story to another level. With that being said, I was a little disappointed that the plot was almost an exact retelling of Les Mis. The Third Estate has become tired of starving and surviving. They were always told "honest work for an honest chance", at the Ascension ceremony,  a raffle to move into the Second Estate. The First Estate has used this as a mechanism to keep the Third Estate in check and distracted with working to fill the material needs of the First and Second Estate, however an old rebellion group is resurfacing which is threatening this way of life and inspiring others toward a revolution.

The characters in this book parallel their counterparts in Les Mis. Marcellus (Marius) is an officer and the grandson of the Commander. Marcellus comes across as obedient and soft. He is a fairly confused young man and unsure of what he wants from life, but seems to have accepted his position. That changes when he meets Chatine, known to him as Theo, and Alouette. He begins to broaden is prospective of Laterre, which is the beginning of him challenging his beliefs and leaving him to come across as a confused, naive young boy instead of a man. Alouette (Cosette) has been living in a refuge her whole life, or what she can remember of her life. She is a curious girl, always seeking knowledge and is one of the few people left who can read the Forgotten Word. Alouette becomes restless and wants to explore the world beyond the refuge and one day gets the push she needs to step out into the world. Alouette does not seem to grow as a character, at least not yet. She thinks she is an intelligent girl with a wealth of knowledge but starts to understand that she knows nothing. I thought both Marcellus and Alouette were a bit boring as characters and I think there is much room for them to grow in the next books. They will NEED to develop more as characters. I continued to read because of Chatine aka Theo (Eponine). Chatine is a complex and conflicted character. Her one goal in life is to survive, which means getting off the planet. She does not want to give into the corrupt system and wants to avoid prison on Bastille. Throughout the book her principles and beliefs are constantly challenged and she does not always choose the right path, which continued to make Chatine by far the most interesting and enjoyable character.

The story closely follows that of Les Mis, but for the most part the plot is covered in this first book, which leaves the next book to be opened to the interpretation of the writer's. I am absolutely interested in seeing how Brody & Rendall decide to continue the next book including how the plot will go, how the character's will grow, who will take down the First Estate and what other planets in the System Divine will do in the current state of the galaxy's political climate. There was a lot to gain out of this book with the vast amount of themes, the challenge of moral/ survival principles and the discovery of self. The next book I think will stray from the path of Les Mis, but that leaves the reader with a sense of excitement and curiosity. I frankly want more Chatine!

*Waves* Bonjour! Hello! I kind of loved this. Like, a lot.

The writing was really engaging throughout this novel. And that's saying something when this is a beast of a book at almost 600 pages and two authors! This novel is told in three alternating points of view:
- Chatine: a thief disguising herself as a boy to survive in the slums of Laterre.
- Marcellus: a military officer with the General as his grandfather a traitor as a father.
- Alouette: a girl sheltered from the world in a convent-esque environment.
The story itself is separated into parts and individual chapters. As a whole it progresses well and overlaps with margin success. There were a few chapters—the end of Chatine's and the start of Marcellus' in the same location, for instance—where it felt like there was a bit too much recall and it took a few pages to get back into the story. However, for two different voices putting this together, this novel felt seamless. Very well executed. It was fun, intriguing as hell and just about unputdownable.

Now, this is comped as Les Miserables meets The Lunar Chronicles. I'm going to be upfront and tell you I have never read Les Mis. That said, I have seen the movie ... but barely remember it because I didn't realize until 10 minutes in that by musical they meant there is no speaking. At. All. Whoops. But Prisoner 24601, never forget. Anyways, I did have to quickly look up the basic plot of the story to see how both parallel. In a nutshell:
Chatine = Eponine
Marcellus = Marius
Alouette = Cosette
While my memory of the entire story is foggy, as far as a re-telling goes this holds pretty close to the original in regards to character relationships, growing unrest in the regime and talk of rebellion.

However, I have to somewhat disagree with The Lunar Chronicles comparison. I see where the dots line up, but it feels very different from Lunar. Yes, it is a science fiction re-telling, but it felt rather lacking on the science fiction side. Even as I write that I'm shaking my head because this is a story set on a planet in space with cyborgs, androids, screens in everyone's arms and spaceships. Sounds like the two should line up, right? But it didn't feel like it. The magic that bled through Cinder did not take hold here. The tech felt weak and generic and the world itself didn't seem as colourful as it could have been. Did I hate it? Absolutely not. Don't you dare think that! It just stood more on its own and something you should bear in mind.

There is a love triangle of sorts in this, and I, an individual who swears off them where I can, didn't hate this? In keeping with the Les Mis plot line, I think it's kind of obvious how it will all end (and then again, maybe not) but I found myself rooting equally for both sides of the romance. In fact, the one pairing was really quite heartbreaking, which shocked the heck out of me. Again, I will never understand how boys—or people in general—can't tell the difference between a boy and girl in these novels. A hood over your head and dirt on your face really doesn't hide that fact that your voice is high AF.

I am curious to know how far this series will go. Are they going to maintain staying close to the Les Mis storyline, or are they going to branch out now that they've laid the basis? Duology? Trilogy? Are the rest all going to be 600 pages too? I have many questions, but please know that no answer you give me will prevent me from getting my grubby little hands on Book 2.

Was it just me or was this book HUGE?! Which was awesome- as it was jam packed full of world building and mutiny. Similarly to the original by Hugo, in this story we see the juxtaposition of the rich living the high life and the poor living in the streets. Our three main characters exist in three different social classes. I always really appreciate these morally grey characters, and this was no exception. Looking forward to the sequel.

Rating: 3.5⭐️

Well gosh darn it, this was a whirlwind.

Let me just start off by saying that this book is thicc. I didn't realize it was nearly 600 pages until I was already committed. But I read it in 2 days nonetheless, so clearly I am a god.

Or I just didn't have a lot to do at work this week.

You decide.

Anyway, SKY WITHOUT STARS is described as Les Misérables meets The Lunar Chronicles, and that is literally EXACTLY what it was. Sometimes comp titles are way off and make me grit my teeth. This was not one of those times. If you know Les Mis like the back of your hand (*cough* like me), then you will either get more enjoyment from this book....or you will get less.

I say this because you might enjoy the very blatant nods to Les Mis in all the character names and other references, but you might also be annoyed that it gives the plot less immediacy and suspense. For example, although this plot probably should have had me a little closer to the edge of my seat, all I could think about was the plot of Les Mis so I wasn't really surprised by anything. The reveals were not reveals, because...well, I know Les Mis. In fact, this book was less tragic than Les Mis, so all the tension I was holding onto while reading this was unnecessary (MILD SPOILER: I was waiting for quite a few deaths that didn't happen).

SKY WITHOUT STARS opens with young thief Chatine disguising herself as a boy to blend into the streets on the planet of Laterre. Yes, they all live on a different planet because something apparently happened to Earth (even though la terre means Earth?) and now one planet is french and other planets are...different countries, I guess. There's another one called Reichenstat, which although it's spelled wrong (and has no importance to the story) is one of the most German-sounding things I've ever heard. I don't know how an entire damn planet is supposed to represent one country, but whatever. I can overlook that.

Anyway, Laterre is split up into royalty, authority, and the other 95% - poor people. Chatine is one of the poor. Her parents are comedically horrible representations of Monsieur and Madame Thénardier and they're mostly unimportant, just like in Les Mis. They're criminals and force Chatine to steal from dead people, which is both bad parenting and kind of gross. Obvioulsy Chatine is Eponine, though at the beginning I wondered if she was meant to be Fantine because of certain other references (it quickly became apparent that was not the case - or she's a blend of both). Now let's move on, because all those names sound too similar and I'm confusing myself.

The other important character at the beginning is Marcellus. He is not poor, but rather one of the authority figures. His father was a rebel traitor who was sent to jail on the moon (?), but his grandfather is an important general-type dude. Marcellus represents Marius, but he's way more conflicted. He believes in Laterre's oppressive Regime and hates that his father was a traitor. But when he receives word that his father died in moon-jail and has to go identify the body, he does it, because he's a 10/10 son.

This is where it got dumb for me, and what follows is the reason I couldn't give this a higher rating.

Chatine is robbing the crypts (or whatever they are) when Marcellus goes to identify his father's body. She pretends to be dead but does a super bad job at it, so he discovers her. Instead of arresting her for being a total fucking creep, he says she must be hungry and wants to give her food. Fine. Nice guy is nice.

BUT.

This small and not-very-important event is caught on camera (because this world is full of technology even though it's very...barren) and this prompts Marcellus's general-grandfather to summon Chatine to the Grand Palais. Grandpa offers her the opportunity to spy on Marcellus because he suspects the rebels are trying to recruit his grandson. The reward? Enough money for Chatine to get the hell off her shitty planet.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS DUMB. The grandfather saw the video of Marcellus offering Chatine food and not arresting her, which means Marcellus must trust her (?), and therefore she should spy on him and find out whether he has any contact with the rebels. I'm sorry, but no. Marcellus met Chatine for one goddamn minute. He doesn't even know she's a girl. And grandpa jumps to the conclusion that Chatine is suddenly the #1 person Marcellus trusts? Are you telling me Marcellus has met so few people in his 18 years of life that his must trusted companion is a disguised girl he came across in the crypts and had a 30 second exchange with? THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

I get that this was a plot device to bring Chatine and Marcellus together so that plot point x, y, and z can happen, but it was not a good one. #sorrynotsorry.

Oh, I almost forgot about the third important character. Her name is Alouette, AKA Cosette. She lives in an underground library with her father, who is a cutout of Jean Valjean and should have played a way more important role than he did, IMO. He brought Alouette to live with the Sisters that run the library, and she never leaves because they have to hide the knowledge of books and the written word (which is no longer used above ground). Obviously she runs away and crosses paths with Marcellus, because that's what happens in Les Mis, and they have this weird instalove moment, which I'm not really allowed to hate on because that's what happens in Les Mis.

Okay. That was a lot more setup than I usually do. But essentially the story revolves around these 3 characters unravelling the secrets behind a rebellion that happened seventeen years ago while setting the scene for a future rebellion. I won't say more than that, because spoilers (especially if you don't know much about Les Mis).

I did enjoy reading this book for the most part. At least, I liked reading about Chatine. She was a scrappy badass whose dumb crush on Marcellus can't be held against her because that's what happens in Les Mis. Do I sense a pattern? Ha. Marcellus is a pretty decent character overall, and he does some good evolving, so I didn't mind his perspective either, though I definitely didn't love him. On the other hand, I was bored by Alouette (who was basically Cress from the Lunar Chronicles?) and didn't care about her that much. I hope she will be more interesting in the second book.

In a way, I was unable to be super interested in the relationship amongst this trio in general, because I already knew everything about it. It was so much like Les Mis that I felt as if I didn't really need to learn anything more about the characters and their dynamic, and this is why I think you honestly might get more enjoyment out of this if you haven't memorized every word to every song in that goddamn musical.

Hm.

Another thing I didn't like: random French words for no reason whatsoever. The book is obviously written in English, but even in their own internal monologues the characters will call things "stupide" or "plastique," etc., and they measure things in "mètres." That kind of irritated me every time it popped up. They also eat "chou bread," and what the fuck is that? Because chou is cabbage, and that sounds nasty.

I also found it really difficult to picture this setting, but maybe that's just me. Or maybe I was reading too fast. It's very possible. I just wasn't super immersed, that's all. But at least I wasn't actively bored (*gives side-eye to Wicked Saints*), and the action was fast-paced enough that it was enjoyable to read despite being long AF.

Overall, I gave this a smack-dab-in-the-middle 3 stars. Did I like it? Yeah, well enough. Would I recommend it to people? Probably, but with some reservations. Would I read it a second time? Nah. But I'll probably read the sequel, so that's something.

I am going to admit I haven't read the Lunar Chronicles or Les Miserables But this book had me at revolution, traitor and a girl who protects an underground library. Um yes please. But unfortunately something was just missing for me.

So essentially humans colonized a new planet called Laterre. Which literally translates to The Earth. And after a few hundred years like history has shown that those who prospered kept their power and those who didn't well we all know how that goes. The book revolves around three POV's Chatine a thief, Marcellus is an officer and the grandson of the most powerful man on the Laterre, and Alouette is a refuge protecting one of the last libraries.

I really did enjoy the world building but it definitely missed some of the SciFi elements that I enjoy reading in Science Fiction. I think those who are not big on Scifi because it gets very techy or delves deep into science and space will like this take. But I usually love all those things in my Scifi. so I was a bit let down in that aspect. But besides the lack of science fiction I did find Sky Without Stars showed the huge class difference really well, The huge difference affected France for centuries and you don't need to read Les Miserables to know that. And yet it still somehow managed to be original I honestly felt like I was there watching all three main characters.
Surprisingly the love triangle didn't bother me as much as love triangles usually do. Maybe that has to do with Les Miserables having an actual love triangle.
I also really enjoyed our main characters they were all very fleshed out, likable and they actually character growth which you don't usually see until book two.

Overall this is a great addition to the alternate retellings we all love and great book to help those who are not necessarily into or want to get into the Science Fiction genre. I cannot wait till book two.

On the planet of Laterre, a planet long ago colonized by French descendant from Earth, Chatine lives as a thief, roaming the dirty streets of Fret 7, one of the dingy areas occupied by the Third Estate, the working class. All she dreams of is to leave Laterre and to start a new life on another planet. Marcellus, the general’s grandson, the son of a traitor, and a member of the Second Estate, lives in a blissful ignorance of luxury. When the Heir of the First Estate is murdered and chaos erupts, Marcellus teams up with Chatine in unlikely circumstances as they both discover what they are willing to do, and not do, to achieve their goals. Meanwhile, Alouette, after living underground for most of her life, finally surfaces for answers and discovers she is a part of something so much bigger, something all three of them will have to face.

Sky Without Stars offers readers a, eerie look at a secondary world that has been overshadowed by many of the horrors our own planet faces on a much darker level. The climate pollution has left them in a haze and their world’s class system has placed a pressure on the people and a desire for radical change. The setting of this book was probably my favourite part, a bunch of distinguishable areas that felt real and alive from the slums of the Frets to the luxury of Ledome.

Chatine was a character I immediately liked, her wile and street-smarts were entertaining and fun to read and I rooted for her from the very beginning. Marcellus stumped me a bit because his character seemed so wishy-washy and uncertain that I never fully got a grasp on who he was or what he wanted. Alouette was annoying at first, possibly because her entry to the story confused my preconceived ideas about where Marcellus and Chatine’s were going romantically, but as the story progressed I liked her character more and more. I am hoping in the next book to see more action from her and I would love to see a conversation between her and Chatine.

The plot was overall entertaining but there were so many things that left me confused and jolted me out of the reader experience. The main idea that stumped me was the world building aspect of time. The main characters are all 17 or 18 and yet there are several comments that show Laterre as having longer days. months and years, which confused me on how old they actually were if these are Earth numbers and how these ages actually looked and felt on this new planet. The plot also kept talking about the uprising that had happened in 488 and the new uprising happening during the book but because of all of the narratives it felt like there was a narrative missing because there was so much missing from this section of the world building, the uprising sector.

Despite some of these confusions, I did heartily enjoy the book and was even surprised by some of the plot twist that came in at the end. Some of the lack of world-building was likely to fuel these twists but it could have been handled a little differently. Overall, I am now invested in the answers that will come in the next instalment and look forward to more adventures from this group.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC courtesy of Simon Pulse through NetGalley. I am grateful for the opportunity to review an ARC for my readers, but this will not influence my final rating. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and based solely on the book. 

Wow. Just, wow. 

It took me the longest time to finish this book, and not because of the 600+ pages, but because I was stopping every chapter to leave all capital messages to my best friend that were both extremely vague (don't expect me to spoil a masterpiece) and filled with raves about the worldbuilding, and heart-breaking characters, and unique Laterre culture. 

All I can say is that now she has Sky Without Stars on pre-order and after this review, if you don't too, I've done something terribly wrong.

WELCOME TO LATERRE
High on a hill, the family built their Grand Palais under a vast climate-controlled dome. And in the flatlands below lived their chosen people. — Sky Without Stars

Brody and Rendell have built a super rich world that entwines French culture with futuristic technology. The classic tensions between rich and poor take on a whole new dynamic with the addition of "beaters" (police droids), Skins (implants that track a person's location), and the Ascension (not as sinister as it sounds). 

The world is soooo unique (and Laterre is only one planet in the System Divine) and Brody and Rendell made sure not a single detail went over my head. I could vacation to Laterre right now—although considering the current political state, um, not a great idea—and fit right in with the locals. (Also, in science fiction, a LOT usually goes over my head, so you need to realize how much praise I just doled out.)

As a French speaker, I was enthralled by the sneaky (or maybe not so sneaky) way French was used in the book. Instead of "police" there were the "policier," for example. An English speaker can grasp every meaning, and the Laterre culture just becomes more prevalent! One of my faves that might have been harder to catch: Laterre means "the earth" in English. 

CHATINE: STREET SAVY THIEF
Since the day she was born into this Regime, she was fated to die young. She would never see the stars. She would never feel the warmth of real Sol-light on her face. She would never escape. — Sky Without Stars

Many would call Chatine a pessimist. I call my stubborn cat-eyed thief a gritty realist. Who can blame her?? She was raised by cons and forced to swallow the so-called "honest work for an honest chance" lies while she watched Third Estaters starve in the streets.

Chatine has her own moral code. It's not that she's incapable of caring about others, it's that she's felt how much it hurts when you lose someone you care for (again...and again). Throughout the book I was mourning her tragedies as much as I was praising her strength—and hoping for her to find her happiness. **smothers her with hugs but she hates that so no more hugs**

MARCELLUS: SON OF A RENOWNED TRAITOR
He had to prove to himself, once and for all, that he was not his father's son. He was a loyal grandson and a proud member of the Second Estate. — Sky Without Stars

Oh Marcellus. You want to prove to everyone that you're a good officer, that you'll squash the rebellious Vangarde and become an exemplary commandeur. But you're just not suited for it!

Marcellus journey is interesting. When you're inside his POV, he sounds cool and collected—until confronted by grandfather, that is. (The trusted general of the First Estate.) From any other POV (either Alouette or Chatine) you can see how little Marcellus actually succeeds in portraying the "in-command" appearance. He's boy-ish, frightened by violence, and kind of just wants to have friends? If he wants hugs from me though, he's going to have to wake up and smell the social injustice first. *shakes fist*

ALOUETTE: GUARDIAN OF THE LAST LIBRARY
She was so sick of it. The secrets. The mysteries. The torn-out pages. The hidden boxes. She needed answers. And she needed them now. — Sky Without Stars

I think every book lover will identify a little bit with Alouette. Since she was four years old, she was raised underneath the grounds of Laterre in a convent, helping the Sisters record the history of, well, everything now that the written word has been forgotten by most everyone else on the planet. Unsurprisingly, living under the ground has made Alouette yearn for a taste of outside and when she looks out, she uncovers a trail of secrets leading back to her father and her own past.

I'll be honest, this book didn't give me as much Alouette action as I needed. She's wickedly talented with tools and thanks to all the books she's read, she knows a lot about medical science and hotwiring *ahem* and I wanted to see so much more!! A lot of her journey focused on what kind of secrets were hidden from her, but now that things have been revealed ... well, I see great things for Book 2. 

OTHER THOUGHTS
Our three heroes do cross paths—several times, in fact—but each have their own journeys to undergo. At the beginning I thought they were all going to meet up by chapter three and then take over the Regime—yeah, that is not this book so clear that idea from your head!

There is some flirtation in this book, but no actual romance. I wasn't fond of it, if you ask me this book is stronger without the romance between one of the proposed pairings, but I'm not complaining.

CW: child death (not on-page), beheading

RETELLING OF LES MISERABLES
I have not read Les Mis! Or watched any of the on-screen adaptations. I did read the Wiki page (same/not same?) and Brody & Rendell nailed the retelling. If you're interested to see the resemblances, I would advise looking at the summary after reading the book because it might spoil some plot elements (since you're only getting a point-by-point account). If you already know Les Mis, it will just enrich your experience! 

RATING

I. LOVED. THIS. I'm sorry this review is so long, I hope you made it through, I wanted to highlighted all the best aspects (aka the aspects) of this book. I need the sequel now. I need to know how my Laterre children are doing. **sobs** Five crowns!!

Review on Goodreads [March 14 2019]: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2678112518
Review on Blog [March 14 2019]: https://bookprincessreviews.wordpress.com/

This book hooked me right off the bet. This is apparently a sci-fi retelling of Les Miserables, which I will admit I have not read. Either way, this book was interesting all on its own. Great characters that were well fleshed out, the world building was excellent and the action was great. I enjoyed the sci-fi and french elements that really fleshed out the story and the world in which it takes place. Not to mention, the cover looks amazing! I truly do recommend this book if you're looking for some exciting and adventurous. It is a long book, but you won't notice that at all!

Judging the Book by it's Cover - 2018-12-23
What is this beautifully mashed up masterpiece? A Les Miserable re-imaging, with a Lunar Chronicles influence? Yes please, I need to read this like I need air to breathe.

Review - 2019-01-14
​Is this long? Yes. Is this worth it? Hells yes. I loved every page, every word, every single part of this book. Sure, I'm biased. Les Mis is one of my favourite musicals, favourite stories. And sure, this is a book, no music included. But it doesn't matter. The story is just as rich and lively as if it were being acted on a stage.

Incorporating a futuristic sci-fi robotic tone to the classic story was super weird, but somehow it worked and created this strange futuristic historic vibe and I was totally into it. It also incorporated some French language as a homage to the original, which I thought was well done and added a nice flare to this.

As far as characters go, I think this does a fairly good job of transitioning the traditional characters into this other setting. Chatine was by far the most interesting and strongest character, taking a well deserved lead in this take on the story. I really liked her story arc and the development of her character.

Marcellus and Alouette added another perspective and rounded out the entire picture, but Alouette came across a little doe eyed (which is fitting) and Marcellus seemed a little weak (also kind of fitting). I felt they could have developed into a bit more, but this is clearly being left open for more books and I think the way things wrapped up, both will have a chance to really come into their own as things continue.

Full disclosure and possible spoiler: there is a love triangle. The dreaded love triangle. But anyone familiar with Les Mis can't be surprised by this and ultimately, it wasn't really that dreadful and it certainly didn’t take centre stage like most love triangles in YA books do.

I really enjoyed this read. A lot. It was already quite long, but I didn’t want it to end and I want very much to read what comes next. I want to know more about the Vanguard and see the rise of the rebellion. It was refreshing to read this familiar story with a bit of a nicer ending. While, not an ending, but at least some hope heading into the next book.

*I was sent this book by Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*


4/5 stars

Sky without Stars started off very strong for me. I really liked the two main characters Chatine and Marcellus, and I thought the plot was fast paced and interesting.

Throughout the middle of the book I did find times when it felt a little long and dragged out. And I found myself not as interested. I really enjoyed the end, I liked the plot twists (some I saw coming, others I didn’t), and I thought it left off in a place that made me really excited for where the second book will take us.

Minor complaints of things I didn’t like very much, the first were the characters of Marcellus and Alouette.

I liked Marcellus a lot in the beginning, and again at the end. However throughout the entire middle of the book it felt as though there was so much going on and all he could think about/cared about was this girl he’d literally just met. I actually don’t mind insta-love in general, but in this case I didn’t like it. Towards the end, he really pulled through and I found myself enjoying his character again.

Alouette, I unfortunately didn’t really care for the entire book. I found myself struggling to relate to her in anyway, or understand why she was doing the things she was doing. I really spent most of her chapters kind of frustrated with her. Also, same as Marcellus, she spent a lot of time thinking about him, who she’d just met.

The French. Okay, so I don’t mind the french words when they were places, like the planet name LaTerre. But they had random french words interspersed with the rest of the text and it threw me off every time. I know they were going for a Paris/Les Mis vibe, but it really annoyed me. Especially at the beginning.

Overall, I thought this was a fairly solid beginning to a new series and I look forward to the sequel.

So I watched the musical film version of Les Misérables when it came out but I don't even think I finished it and I certainly didn't remember anything about the storyline (except that there was a prisoner 24601) so reading this didn't feel like a retelling to me!

That being said, I liked the book in general even though I'm kind of tired of the whole rebellion book plots! This book also had a love triangle and insta-love which weirdly, didn't bother me much but I had a preference for the love-triangle and I don't think that's going to be the end-game. (After reading this, I read the summary of the original story and there was indeed a love triangle there so I can't blame this book). Some storylines were also predictable but it didn't really bother me because there were others that I didn't see coming.

Overall, I found it interesting and I loved that it wasn't too techy (you know how these sci-fi books are). I prefer this book to the musical film tbh (that was low-key boring)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Before I get into the review I just want to state that the premise sounded really intriguing but since this was a reimagining of Les Mis I was a little nervous to go into it as I haven't read or watch Les Mis and wasn't sure if that would be a crucial thing to do in order to understand the story. After finishing Sky Without Stars, I don't think it hindered my ability to connect with the story or the characters so if you are worried about that going in you should be fine.

This book. I'm not entirely sure how to put all my thoughts into words but this book was phenomenal! I loved the characters, the plot, the world - pretty much everything. This was one of those books that had you feeling something for almost every character, even if they were a secondary one. The emotion written into this was so powerful and just made you feel as if you were one of the characters in the world itself.

I loved the different POV's and how each of the main characters came from a different background and it was nice to see all of those stories intertwine together when they started connecting with each other for the first time in the book.

I also enjoyed the world building and how even though it was on a different planet it, the authors did a great job at describing the world so that it was so easy to visualize. The plot was great, I liked how it wasn't too slow or too fast and you had enough time to bond and connect with the characters and actually feel the loss of their death (you know what I mean if you read it. I never thought I'd be so attached to a side character who wasn't even in the book that much!).

There are so many things to love about this book but the thing for me that took a star away was that it was a bit hard getting into at the beginning with some of the English with a hint of French words.

Other than that, I highly recommend Sky Without Stars and I can't wait for the next one to see what happens next!